3/27/2013

Meyer Lemon Molten Cakes with Raspberries and Cream

When planning holiday or entertaining menus, I always start with dessert first. Why? I have an arsenal of sweet recipes to choose from and it is always hard to narrow it down to the right one. And it can be the more labor intensive part of the meal with the creaming of butter and sugar, the rolling of the dough, the baking, the frosting, on and on... Having said that, this recipe was not hard to decide on and it comes together in no time with just a whisk and a bowl.

However, before I talk about it I want to give you a little background. My children and I are visiting my parents in Charleston, S.C. this week during their Spring Break vacation. Unfortunately, my husband is not able to travel with us. Since we will not be home to spend Easter with him, I made an Easter celebration dinner on Monday before I left. He's happy to have leftover ham sandwiches while I am gone and I am happy that I have some of the recipes to share with you.

I first made this last year and it was good, but I knew I could make it better. After a reader (shout out to Bobbi☺) reminded me that I needed to finally share the recipe, I put it on my springtime menu to-do list. I knew it would be the perfect ending to our Easter meal.

I am sure many of you are familiar with the popular chocolate molten lava cakes. Well, this is a unique and wonderful twist to that concept. The original recipe called for lemon curd, but I prefer the balanced tartness of Meyer lemon curd. I used some from a batch of homemade, but you can substitute store-bought with good results. Raspberries and lemons go hand-in-hand for a sweet pairing. A dusting of confectioners' sugar and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream help to finish the dessert. Although not pictured, after one bite I knew there was one more layer that would really make this dessert sing. A batch of Red Currant-Raspberry sauce in the freezer sealed the deal. The bonus to this recipe is that the batter can be prepared and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance. So you can bake these while dinner is on the table, then impress your guests with these individual cakes.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and white chocolate, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and smooth, about 60-90 seconds. Remove from the microwave and whisk until smooth. Add the flour, sugar and salt; mix well. Add the eggs, yolks, lemon curd, zest, and vanilla and whisk until blended. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared custard cups.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are just starting to to turn golden brown and the center is puffy and just beginning to set. Transfer the custard cups to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Run the tip of a paring knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen. Invert the cakes onto small dessert plates or dishes. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve with whipped cream and/or coulis. Enjoy!

These sound delicious and I happen to have an abundance of Meyer lemons right now. Has anyone tried freezing the cakes (before baking). I think it would be tricky to try halving the recipe and I want to make them for just 4 people. Thanks!